Handcrafted Warmth!

Hands To Work, Hearts To God

I have a long time friend who is quite a crafter….extremely talented. She and I were visiting the other day and she said, “When I travel, I always take a project with me to while away the time in airports and on planes. Knitting yarn can be just delicious to touch, and the colors very saturated.”

“I pray when I knit. I don't know why. Many years ago, I was making a pair of socks for myself, and just about the time they were finished, a friend lost her mother. The socks, soft, comforting, found their way into a gift basket for her, and she would later tell me how much they meant to her at that time.

God has a plan for us, doesn't he? And uses us in ways we would never consider. And so it began with the knitting, making something with no recipient in mind, praying for a need I did not yet know, or understand, and when the socks, or scarf, or mittens or afghan was done, someone would come to mind and the item would be packaged off to whoever God had planned for it all along.”~E.T.

A sweet and thoughtful gift....I received this idea in one of my crafting emails! Lovely to share with all of my talented knitting friends!

A Coffee Cup Cozy

Finished Measurements:
3.25 inches/8 cm wide, 9 inches/23 cm around unstretched; will stretch easily to fit the largest take-out coffee cup.


Materials:
• 1 ball Sirdar Eco Wool DK (100% undyed virgin wool, 100m/50gm ball; color 201—grey)
o Designer’s Tip: If you can’t find this yarn, any worsted weight wool like Cascade 220, or Paton’s Classic Merino will work nicely!
• 4mm (US #6) straight needles—wood, bamboo or plastic needles are easiest
• Cable needle
• Yarn needle


Gauge:
22 stitches and 28 rows across 4 inches/10cm in stockinette stitch on 4mm needles.


Method:
Cast on 20 sts.
Row 1 [RS]: K4, p2, k8, p2, k4.
Rows 2, 4, 6, 8 [WS]: K6, p8, k6.
Row 3 [RS]: K4, p2, k8, p2, k4.
Row 5 [RS]: K4, p2, C8R*, p2, k4.
Row 7 [RS]: K4, p2, k8, p2, k4.


*C8R: Slip next 4 sts to cable needle and hold in back; k4, then k4 from cable needle.


Repeat the last 8 rows until piece measures 9 inches long, ending after a Row 1.
Bind off, leaving a 12 inch tail to use for seaming.


Finishing:
Wash the piece.
With RS facing, seam using the invisible horizontal seaming method as given below, using the tail left over from the cast-off.


How To Work the Invisible Horizontal Seam
If you look closely at your knitting, you’ll see that at the bottom of each knit stitch – each V – you’ll see a point. You’ll use these for seaming.


Fold the coffee cozy in half along the short side, with right sides facing you, and line up the cast-on and bind off edges. The cast-off tail should be on your right if you’re right-handed; on your left if you’re left-handed. Thread your darning needle with your cast-off tail.


Starting with the cast-on edge (that is, the edge that doesn’t have the tail attached to it), run the darning needle under the point of the V of the first stitch, right at the edge.


Next, run under the corresponding V on the other side, right up by the cast-off edge. And then back across the other side, going in where you came out, and under the next V....And so forth. When seaming purl stitches, the v is still there, it’s just hiding a little bit. Stretch the fabric out to see the V's. Pull snug as you work. When you get to the end, weave in your ends.

A Perfect Hand-Crafted Gift along with a little Caramel Latte Recipe


Hot Caramel Latte
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
4 teaspoons instant coffee, divided
1 cup very hot water, divided

Microwave evaporated milk and ice cream topping in small, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on high for 2 minutes or until very hot. Carefully pour mixture into blender; cover. Blend on high for 1 minute or until very frothy on top. Put 2 teaspoons coffee granules into each 12-ounce coffee mug. Add 1/2 cup hot water to each mug; stir.

Gently pour milk mixture into each mug, spooning foam on top! Oh Heavenly!

Shepherding, Shearing and Spinning!

The Maine House is hosting Afternoon Tea as we learn  how a passion from a young girl,  grew and developed into a vibrant resource!

I, myself,  have always had a passion for sheep. My aunt and uncle in Ohio raised sheep for a short time and perhaps this is what first gave me an awareness of their beauty. From time to time, I research sheep and have framed beautiful pictures of sheep throughout my home. Recently, I came across someone else who seemed to have a love for sheep and thought how interesting it was to learn about the manner in which her passion became .....

"Esther's Place!"

Natasha Lehrer's  inspiration came from the legacy of the agrarian lifestyle (1.pro-farmer: promoting the interests of farmers, especially by seeking a more equitable basis of land ownership 2. of rural life: dominated by or relating to farming or rural life 3. of land: relating to land, especially its ownership and cultivation)
 surrounding her home on the Midwestern prairie.  Natasha had moved with her parents as a teenager from Chicago to the small village of Big Rock, Illinois. Although not anticipating the awakening of her entrepreneurial spirit, she settled into rural life and after a while,  she considered raising sheep. One kind soul gave her a spinning wheel and fatefully the Lehrer house, recently purchased, came with a loom. Natasha taught herself the trade of shepherding after purchasing one mother ewe and a lamb.

In the fall of 2005, at the age of 19, Natasha won a USDA grant for single-use agriculture. She then purchased a large and rambling Victorian home and "Esther's Place" was born! Natasha connected the two worlds of farming and fiber arts and began teaching weaving and spinning classes, as her sheep grazed the pastures surrounding her new home!

Natasha has created a life of shearing, spinning and shepherding to produce man-made fibers from her shop and retreat center.


We pay tribute to Natasha Lehrer,  as she strives to preserve the process of her passion; raising Cheviot sheep and supporting local farmers. This is a house where Natasha's vision rings true...a place where all are warmly welcomed to learn, laugh, linger and be inspired.

Blissful Vanilla Bean Cake

3 cups cake flour
2 cups sugar
4 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 whole vanilla bean, split
2 sticks, plus 2 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/3 cup milk
5 egg whites
1 Tbsp vanilla extract


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the bottom of 3 8" pans. Line each with a round of parchment paper and butter the paper. Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large mixer bowl. With the mixer on low speed, blend well. With the tip of a small knife, scrape out the seeds from inside the vanilla bean into the bowl. Add the butter and 1 cup of milk and mix to blend. Raise the mixer speed to medium and beat until batter is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites with the vanilla extract and the remaining 1/3 cup of milk. Add this to the batter in 2 to 3 additions, scraping down the bowl well and mixing only to incorporate. Divide among your pans. Bake for about 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the center of the cake. Allow to cool in pans for 10 minutes, then invert onto wire racks. Remove the paper and cool completely, about an hour.

Blissful White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
1 cup butter, softened (Do Not Substitute)
2 cups confectioners' sugar
6 ounces white chocolate , melted and cooled
3 to 5 tablespoons whipping cream

In a large bowl, beat the butter and confectioners sugar at low speed until fluffy. Add in melted and cooled white chocolate and whipping cream (start with 3 tablespoons and add in more to achieve desired consistency). Beat on high speed for 3-4 minutes, scraping the bowl with a spatula.

Estelle's Friendship Tea (from my original Bell's Best)
1 18- ounce jar of Tang
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup of Lemonade Mix
1/2 cup instant tea
1 3- ounce package of Apricot Jello
2 1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground cloves
Boiling water

Combine first 7 ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Stir very well. Pour and store in an air tight container. To serve, place 1 1/2 tablespoon of mix into a teacup and add 1 cup of boiling water.

"Winter...A lingering season,

is a time to gather golden moments,

 embark on a sentimental journey

and enjoy every idle hour."

 John Boswell